Mah-juck rack



' Aug. 26, 1924-.

J. SANCHEZ MAH JUCK RACK Filed Oct. 21, 1922 Jew/2 Jana Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN sancnna, or saw rnnno, CALIFORNIA, assrcuon 130 JOHN T. GAFIEY, or sen rnnao, CALIFORNIA.

MAI-I-JUCK RACK.

Application filed October 21, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN SANCHEZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Pedro, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mah-Juck Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to games, and more particularly to the ancient game of mah juck.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an extremely simple and practicable form of rack and gauge or rule for employment in the game of mah juclt which is played by the use of a considerable number of oblong blocks of about an inch in length, three-quarters in width and seven-sixteenths in thickness. These blocks have plane backs and faces which are provided with characters indicating the denomination or value of the block.

In the playing of the game, the players are arranged in a group around the board or table and the blocks are taken by the players and ordinarily are stood on the end in a rough row with the faces of the blocks toward the possessor. During the game the players reach across the table or board with the result that the blocks, which are light and owing to their small end dimensions, unstable, are frequently tilted over face up which results in the spoiling of the game by the disclosure of the value of the blocks.

The present invention consists of a rule and rack designed to be employed so as to hold the blocks before the player in an up right position, and in such manner that they cannot be individually tilted over and thu exposed, and further serves to hold the blocks in perfect alinement and enables them to be shifted in sections of the row to provide for the insertion of set forming or completing rows.

Other objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following specification of an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan of a game board showing the outfit of the racks arranged upon the rack.

Serial No. 595,931.

around the board at the players position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the rack showing a row of the blocks as sustained in the rack before the player.

Fig. 3 is a cross section through the rack showing the position of an upright block.

Fig. 4 is a perspective showing the back of the rack used as a rule for alining the turned down wall of blocks in condition to be pushed onto the board.

The well known and ancient Chinese game of mah juck is played by means of small blocks certain of which are designated with domino-like characters and others of which are denoted by Chinese characters. A very considerable number of these pieces are utilized in the game, and the blocks 2 are selected by the players and ordinarily positioned vertically on end before each on the game board or table B. In reaching over the board, the upright blocks 2 are frequently knocked down with the usual disappointing and undesirable disclosure of the hand.

The present invention is designed to pro vide a holder for effectively positioning and alining the selected blocks 2 before the players respectively, and the holder is here shown as consisting of a straight bar which may be of wood or other material having a base 4 with a fiat bottom to be disposed upon the board B and with an upstanding back 5 which has a plane back face 6, the lower portion of which forms a straight rule. The top of the base a is preferably downwardly and rearwardly inclined as at 7 and the front of the back 5 is formed with a face 8 at right angles to the base face 7 so that the game blocks 2 will be arranged at a slightly angular position to the vertical when supported The blocks can be assembled in a straight row as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and being supported against the back 5 cannot be readily tilted over.

During the course of play, the blocks 2 are arranged face down in two layers as shown in Fig. 4, all of the blocks of which are adapted to be shifted onto the field as shown in doted lines in Fig. 1. Ordinarily the wall of blocks is pushed onto the field by hand in an irregular and haphazard manner and the blocks are also occasionally upturned. By this present invention the straight face 6 of the back 5 serves to aline the wall of blocks while it is being built, and the Whole wall can be bodily shifted without dislodgment of the individual blocks to a position across the field as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This shifting of the Wall is readily obtained by merely swinging the rule or rack as about one end as a fulcrum and to a diagonal position across the board B. At one end, preferably the left hand end of the rack, there is provided a projecting device or bar 10 to form a guide or stop against which the blocks canbe shifted in building the wall, as shown in Fig. 4.

Further embodiments modifications and changes may be resorted to Within the spirit of the invention as here claimed.

lVhat is claimed is:

A game element consisting of a combined rule and rack including along one side a longitudinal sea-t upon which game blocks can be set upright, the rack having a plane face against which the blocks can be alined in building a Wall while resting on a plane primary support, and a device projecting from one end of the rack to act as a stop for the contiguous end of the wall being built.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN SANCHEZ. 

